Corey K

If you do plan on fishing shallow 2 rigs I do we'll on are 1lb weights with plugs and slide divers. I let out 75ft of line, clip on weight w/snap weight release then lower weight to desired depth. Slide divers are great in shallow, set on 4 with plugs or flashers/flys. Downriggers are great but, the 1 lb weights are more stealthy on tougher days.

Check out Bay Outfitters, my buddy Rob. He runs a very nice 621 Ranger and is always on the fish. Not quite the tuna spread big boats run on the bay just a little more of learning/personal trip with the best equipment on board. Also if you want to see side-imaging and new electronics in use. He runs fall trips and also smallmouth trips in the fall if you wanted to do that as well.

Or how about the boats running their lights off arches inside the pier heads. Very hard to drive behind these boats, they blind everyone. I know it's nice to get rods ready in the no wake zones but, it's like all the people leaving their truck headlights on at the ramp while backed down....obviously I could go on and on about all the safety and irritating things people do at the ramps and on the water!

Started early before daylight, started in 70fow out in front of grindstone. Fish were active in the warm water for the first 2 hrs. Ended up with a nice mixed bag. 2 kings, 3 pinks, 2 steelhead , 1 laker, and 2 walleye. Fished till around 9 am then switched to walleye and only picked up 1 more and a couple bass. 2c down 30ft RV ms wonderbread 3c dw ss Jerry lee 200cu. Stinger blue veggie Half moon tiger tangerine on wire slide diver back 50.

I have 2 like new SS props for sale. Michigan Wheel 4 blade RH 20 pitch 14.125 Diameter 250$ Mercury Trophy Plus 4 blade RH 13 3/4 diameter 21 pitch 400$ Both are perfect condition, both props came off mercury 225 pro xs. Also have hub conversion for the Trophy prop. I can possibly deliver or meet on wknds since I'm usually out somewhere fishing. Text for pictures or questions 989-239-9773

Min Kota 101/EM 36 volt 101lb thrust Barely used, came on a boat I recently bought and did reinstall after a lower unit change. Text for pictures 989-239-9773 600$ obo

No we pulled lines at 4pm, that was actually a friend of mines boat. They started shortly after I did in the morning, they also had a mixed bag but also took all day.

That is a cool looking SD, ran one yesterday all day on a low dipsy w/meat from 60-120 back, notta! It has been weird how fish change what they are hitting through out the day, for a couple hours it might be boards then they change to riggers, etc!

Fished yesterday as well, started at 8am and picked up at 4pm. Stayed in 200fow to the south, very slow as we could only find 1 small area that had fish that were active. Mostly steelhead and some nice ones at that. Ended up 9 for 14. 300 copper DW Sea Sick Waddler 300 copper Casper/blue cow mt rig 200 copper Fuzzy Bear Blue Dolphin 150 copper SS Hot Lobster 150 copper MS Mace Face 2c Yeck Fireball 3c DW SS Lemon Ice Not a hit on riggers or dipsy rods...No bait in any of the fish, 47-49 was down 30-50ft.

Some things always work, this year has been different than last. Seems like I remember fishing deeper in the column for sure... 200,150, and 100 coppers...no 300's yet:grin: 2 and 3 colors, even easier Free sliders, easiest yet. DW SS, Sunburst by far the hottest for kings and steelhead. DW SS, Lemon Ice and ShowCar Stinger Stingray Gator Fuzzy Bear Modified Dolphin SS Mag Blue Dolphin MS Mace Face Mag MS RV Raptor Mag SS Mini's in Gold/Orange DW Mag Sea Sick Waddler If you talk to others many have different patterens that are working the same, just need to find fish and let baits run it seems. Whats not been hot, Dipsies period have not been hot except for Lakers. Haven't been running meat since its not needed yet, flasher/flies have caught a few King's so I usually run them early or late and have been pulling to run other rods mid day. Gold back spoons seem to be better this year for me on higher lines than silver. Whats been working futher South? This has been from Pentwater North up to Arcadia.

It would be nice to know what % of these big fish this year are natural reproducing fish or stocked fish.

Thanks for all the info guys, this is all very helpful.

Couple questions, how many King's caught last summer that were 14-18lbs were 3yr olds? Talking to a creel guy at South Haven pointed out some misconceptions to me on aging Kings, biggest fish we had last year was close to 19lbs and this year biggest is close to 30lbs. I know the fish will put a lot of weight on but honestly these 30lb Kings had to be in the high teens last summer?

I would agree it should have something on it that can be seen in the dark, Linwood Beach put lights on their first 2 buoys. Think they are solar powered lights, maybe someone should throw one of those on that buoy.

Exactly, on some boats with a walk around you don't have to handline but, that is why I run 50lb flouro for leaders. The long leader works well w/plugs or spoons and 50lb won't dampen a Mag MS.

Thanks for the reply, and by the way it is none of my business what you keep! Just saying I see alot of people keep them and they simply just get freezer burn....That is great news, sounds like from what I've heard it is very hard for them to miss clipping a fin the way they do it. In Southern Huron I do know that the smelt numbers were decent, marked large bait balls in 60-80fow on a regular basis during May. Steelhead had bugs, lakers, kings, walleye had smelt. The further North the Walleye only had gobies for some reason though.

Wire hands down!!!! I like Mono Divers in shallow when only letting a dipsy out 50-75 w/out ring. I dislike braid divers, steelhead don't like them, and the fleas cling badly to braid. Wire does need some attention, I retie every couple of trips, don't break rods down, and keep a loose drag. My wire divers (high mostly) have taken at least 70% of the hits this year on meat or flies. Equals roughly 70 fish, that includes coho, steelhead, kings, and lakers. I would rather fish without riggers than wire dipsy's any day, my total length from dipsy to the end of the rig is about 13-14ft. IMO braid is good for backer or torpedo weights.

So when you say no fin clip are you saying that fish was not stocked? Just wondering all that I read says the chance of natural reproducing Lake Trout in Lake Michigan/Lake Huron is rare to say the least. I've talked to several charter boat captains on Southern Lake Huron and asked them how many Lake Trout without fin clips, they say few to none that they can recall. I guess Northern Lake Huron could be a different story, I personally cannot recall any without fin clips in Lake Huron but, I have not fished from Oscoda North. I personally like to eat a few Lake Trout but, I throw most back especially the larger ones if they are not hooked bad hoping for some 20lb plus Lakers! I do know the ones that I did clean this year out of Huron were chucked full of smelt or spit up smelt when they burped close to the boat...

110-130fow, 2.4-2.8 SOG, did mark fish deeper than I had baits set but could not get those fish to bite when I ran baits deeper on wire/riggers.